I just got a 3040 machine mechanical kit and would like to mount Nema23 stepper motors. The motors I already have are:
Nema23 3Nm (425 oz. in.) rated 3A per winding
Nema23 1.9Nm (262 oz. in.) rated 3A per winding
Instead of using dedicated DM542A drivers and parallel port driver board I got with them from China, I would like to connect them via USB to allow using Chilipeppr. I have the Arduino and also Tiny-G shield, so both GRBL and Tiny-G workspaces are possible.
So far I read that the Tiny-G board allows max. of 2A (2.5A with colling) current per winding and no more than 30V DC connected to the power supply (24V preferred). Arduino shield based on Pololu DRV8825) would most likely have similar limitations. I would guess that motors will not run with full power, but still this should be OK for small 3040 and cutting/engraving light materials (acrylic, wood and non-metal).
Does anyone have experience with running Nema23 motors with Tiny-G workspace (preferred) or Arduino workspace on Chilipeppr? Or should I look for lighter stepper motors?
Many folks run NEMA 23s on both tinyG and Gshield. If you have 2 Y motors, tinyG has 4 drivers and you can dedicate a driver to Y1 and Y2 Not many folks run drivers at max current anyway. Run a search on “cnc 3040 chillipeppr”, I predict you will find several good hits. Good luck with your build
BTW, you could also use your DM542As. It would require some port buffering and level shifting
I run NEMA 23, 425 oz, 3A motors with no problem at all. Just mount the TinyG in an enclosure with a cooling fan to draw air through. Don’t bother with heatsinks. I’ve been running this setup for nearly a year and have had no issues.
Thanks a lot for your posts. @Brian_Cross and @Brandon_Satterfield : can you tell me what voltage are you using to run the stepper motors? My Chinese power supply is 36V, while TinyG recommended voltage is 24V, and no more than 30V. I don’t want to fry the board
